Launching today, on World Mental Health Day (10 October), Head Above Water is a powerful and compelling, short film supporting mental health awareness.
The film, featuring mental health experts and actors, portrays a new sight on London’s South Bank skyline, Head Above Water – a nine-metre-high, interactive sculpture.
Installed as part of the London Design Festival (15 – 23 Sept) the piece, by British designer Steuart Padwick, overlooks St Paul’s Cathedral and London’s iconic city skyline and has been built in support of mental health.
The ‘Head’ is deliberately gender, ethnicity and age neutral and stands as a symbol of hope, bravery, compassion, positivity and change, for those who have come through or are still confronting mental health issues, and the people who support them.
The sculpture has been made using 10 tons of laminated timber and took just 15 weeks from concept to completion.
Steuart Padwick said, “Head Above Water is a symbol of hope. It needed to be big, powerful and prominent… a beacon of humanity caring for others. This is not my head or about my battles. This is for those who have or have had mental health issues…. I want anybody and everybody to relate to it….to open a door perhaps ….”
At night Head Above Water will be lit using 48m meters of LED lighting, and people will be able to engage with its changing colours to reflect how they are feeling through a designated Twitter feed – in real time.
It has 14 different moods, Love, Happy, OK, Pride, Hope, Faith, Joy, Empathy, Hate, Sad, Shame, Fear, Angry, Pain/Guilt/Regret, which passers-by can interact with, using the hashtag #HeadAboveWaterLondon.
Jo Loughran, Director of Time to Change said: “Located on the bustling South Bank, Head Above Water will be seen by millions, prompting contemplation and encouraging conversations about mental health. Sadly, mental health problems are often confined to hushed conversations in quiet corners so we’re excited to support this project which proudly brings it into the light.”
“The sculpture is a powerful and imposing addition to the London skyline. At a time when life has never been more urgent and fast paced, it prompts us all to reflect on our feelings and be more understanding towards the mental health struggles of others,” added Nicholas Pinnock (film, television and theatre actor and Mind Ambassador).
To get involved, follow @hawLDN on Twitter, or use the hashtag #HeadAboveWaterLondon.
Watch a preview of the short film here…
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
A good day for everyone to consider their new day resolutions and join the Self-Preservation Society, recognise your own levels of work/life presenteeism and/or performance anxiety where just coping, tolerance and persevering has gone on for too long, you are at risk of repetitive stress injuries as the fight-flight stress response reaches “adaptation exhaustion” and presenting with ill-health sufficient to enforce an escape from the stressor you have been trying to ignore – saying “I’m fine” and self-denial just increases the risk linked to loss of wellbeing resulting in predictable stress related ill-health simple.
This is a fantastic film supporting well the employee mental health issues and what businesses can do. At Thames Water today we did our best to keep our heads above water whilst we had 12 Men Talking stood floating in the middle of the River Thames whilst undertaking a minutes silence for the 12 males in the UK today that are likely to commit suicide. A supportive conversation was then held, whilst all of us novice paddle boarders attempted to avoid falling in.
Hi Gareth, we have a peice going up on the site about this shortly.
Thx Ian
Hi There, I am based in South Africa, is there a similar website we can find information for South Africa or anybody that i can contact as the articles, discussions, presentations and workshops on Mental health are most helpful.